As I was watching the Entertainment News about Brad Renfro dying at only 25, I stopped to think about all of the troubles that celebrities have.  And not just in the last year or two.  Celebrities have always led troubled lives.  Just because they are famous and rich, doesn't mean that they aren't human.  They have personal struggles just like the rest of us.

The reason I'm writing about this is because I have often wondered what it would be like to be rich and famous.  Heck!  I'd settle for just rich these days!  Would that mean that all of the struggles I've encountered in my past and in my present would just never have happened?  If I'd had the money for a personal trainer and chef, would that mean the eating disorder I developed in college would never have happened?  Would my marriage have not failed? 

We all seem to think that money would buy us happiness.  Has money bought Britney happiness?  All of the money in the world couldn't save her from losing her mind and losing her babies.  Did money buy Brad Renfro happiness?  Far from it.  Money bought Brad Renfro drugs and alcohol that probably led to his death. 

I would love to have the money to pay off my student loans, buy a house, and drive a car with a bumper. (Long story involving a Walmart parking lot.) But would all of that money talk with me at night?  Would all of that money hug me and make me feel safe?  I think I would still have had the struggles that I've had, just with money. 
So perhaps the grass isn't always greener on the other side.  Would I trade places with a star?  In a heartbeat!  But who's to say my life would be any easier to manage and any easier to make sense of.

CelebJunkie